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G. CROUCH. TRUNK HANDLE.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 26, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE CROU CH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRUNK-HANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,922, dated January 26, 1897. Application filed November 15,1895. Serial No 569,004. (No modelJ To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE CROUCH, acitizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Trunk-Handles, of which the following is a specification.

. I11 Letters Patent No. 338,638, granted to me August 28, 1888, for trunk-handles there is a trunk-handle in which the ends or bridgepieces into which the ends of the leather handle are received are made of metal having projections that pass into the wood of the trunk with a rivet passing through the slot in the leather handle. This, however, is liable toinjury under the severe concussion to which trunks are often exposed.

I find it advantageous to combine with the metallic bridge through which the rivet passes a case of rawhide or similar material between the metallic bridge and the handle for the twofold object of lessening the weight and of furnishing a support for the rivetthat is not liable to be broken by concussion, so that if the metal bridge becomes useless the rawhide case may still hold the handle, and when in use under ordinary circumstances the metal bridge protects the rawhide case from being rubbed and marred by the attrition usually occurring when the trunk is stood upon the end.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the handle and a section of the inclosing case at one end, and Fig. 2 is a cross-section at the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the case and handle, at one end in section.

The handle A is to be of any desired size or shape. Usually it is of two or more thicknesses of leather firmly stitched together, and the slots 3 near the ends are adapted to receive through them the rivets B, as usual, the length of the slots being such as to allow the handle to be bowed outwardly when in use and to allow such handle to lie flat against thesurface of the trunk when not in use.

The cases C are of rawhide or similar material pressed up to shape when in a soft condition, and such cases have flanges 4, that rest against the surface of the trunk and are firmly secured by rivets or nails 5, and the metal bridge-pieces D are applied outside the rawhide cases. C and extend across the same and receive through them the rivets B,which also pass through the rawhide, and these metal bridges are secured at their ends by the rivets (5, which pass through the trunk so as to be securely fastened thereto. By this construction the rawhide cases and the metal bridges act conjointly with the rivets B in sustaining the weight of the trunk when being lifted by the handles, and such rivets B are sustained at their outer ends principally by the metal bridges, but in case either of such metal bridges may be broken by rough usage the rawhide cases prevent the rivets being drawn out and give opportunity forthe handle to be made use of until such time as the injured metal bridge can be replaced, and while in use these metal bridges D take all the wear and attrition when the trunk may be stood upon its end, thus preserving the rawhide cases from injury or defacement.

I prefer to employ a shield 7 upon the middle portion of the handle A to protect the eX-' terior surface of the handle when the trunk is stood on end. This shield may be secured to the handle by rivets, as shown.

I claim as my invention? The combination with a trunk-handle having slots near its ends and rivets passing through such slots, of cases of rawhide or simi- GEO. CROUCH.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, S. T. HAVILAND. 

